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OAR Blog Post – Support Our Troops through the Holidays

2015 is coming to an end and a number of our best, brightest, and bravest are not home for the holidays.

Of course we are talking about our troops, the dauntless heroes of our great nation that continually put themselves in harm’s way in order to protect us and our freedoms each and every day of the calendar year.

The men and women who don the uniforms of our armed forces, many of whom are thousands of miles away and in situations we could never imagine, deserve our time, honor, and respect. During the holidays, we can, and must, show our support and admiration for them as they hold the line for our freedoms and way of life.

Especially during these trying times when evildoers and terror networks have been trying, and sadly succeeding throughout the world to incite fear and horror through tragic events, we have the ability to show our protectors that we value them and their daily sacrifices.

Our soldiers are on the frontlines keeping us safe, it is our duty to let them know that we at home care about them and respect what they do for us.

During this season of giving, please consider contacting your local chapter of the Red Cross and participating in the Holiday Mail for Heroes program. Or consider donating to the USO to help those deployed away from home to see that we never stop thinking of them and thanking them for their service.

As this year winds down, please take the time to thank a veteran or active duty member of our armed forces for what they do or what they have done for our great nation.

OAR Blog Post – Republican Led States, Leading the way on Tax Freedom

Tax Freedom Day. Generally this is brought up about the time we all file our state and federal taxers in April. However, as the year is winding down and small businesses and individuals throughout the nation are lining up their year-end totals, one things rings especially true; our wallets are far more protected in Republican led states than they are in Democrat led states.

For those who are not aware, Tax Freedom Day is the day on the calendar when the amount we as a state or nation have earned stops being paid to state and federal governments to cover our tax burden. That is, every dollar we earn prior to that date goes to pay taxes. Generally speaking this happens between April 2nd and May 13th in the states and on April 24th for our nation as a whole.

This past year Americans spent more on taxes than they did on food, clothing, and housing combined.

While this realization is astounding, there are a number of states that are making a difference in protecting your earnings and making sure that you have more money in your wallet.

For a simple snapshot of this situation, we can look at the Tax Foundations Tax Freedom Day annual report. The report in its entirety can be read here, but just to highlight the point that your hard-earned dollars are being better utilized in Republican led states, we need look no further than the top and bottom of this list.

Of the Top ten states mentioned in the report with the earliest Tax Freedom Days, 8 are run by Republican governors, and the other two have term limited Democrat governors with tight races leading into 2016, and Republican momentum in their favor. The state House of Representative or Assemblies in nine of these ten states are also under Republican majority control – Kentucky being the only state without a Republican majority in the lower house – and it has been trending Republican for the last three election cycles with a potential for majority control in 2016. The same can be said for New Mexico – the only State Senate on the list that isn’t in Republican control. Over the last two election cycles the Republican have consistently picked up State Senate seats. The Democrats who had a stranglehold on power have had to acquiesce on taxation and government spending in order to keep their small amount of influence noteworthy.

Over the next two years both the lower house in Kentucky and the upper chamber in New Mexico are likely to move to the right, and the taxpayers in all ten of these state will continue to see the positive effects of conservative principles on their wallets.

In stark contrast, looking at the bottom ten states in terms of Tax Freedom day, we see overwhelming Democrat control. Democrats control 90 percent of the state’s lower houses, and 70 percent of the upper chambers in these states.

While on a micro level these states are not seeing much change, we have seen some macro changes as three of these states have changed to Republican governors in the last election cycle.

As 2015 winds down, and the election season for 2016 begins to heat up – we must make changes at the top to spur growth and positive change in our tax system at the state and federal level. But, we must also work with campaigns and conservative candidates all the way to the bottom of the ticket to insure that we get the representation we deserve to secure financial responsibility for generations to come.

Since the early days of this great nation, the idea of a balanced budget has been paramount. Thomas Jefferson brought up the need to spend within our means during his first administration and the notion of creating a balanced budget amendment to the constitution has fallen upon deaf ears ever since

For one reason or another, while the people of the United States sit at their kitchen tables month in and month out to establish their budgets and set spending for the days and years to come, our federal government sees no need to follow this common sense routine.

During a time of emergency or necessity a family may need to use credit to make ends meet, but the normal American family cannot and should not attempt to live their day-to-day lives by deficit spending. When times are lean we must tighten our belts, when our wallets are flush we save for a rainy day.

Somehow this concept has continued to elude the federal government.

Our nation is currently $18.7 trillion in debt and running at a $439 billion for the last fiscal year. This is unacceptable and unsustainable.

Since at least 1936 representatives in congress have attempted to push forward legislation for balanced budget amendments to no avail. The closest came under the Reagan administration when Democrat Senator Paul Simon penned a bill. Sadly, even with bipartisan support it could not pass.

49 of our 50 states have either a balanced budget amendment to their state constitution or have the requirement for a balanced budget in their state statutes, (the only exception being Vermont).

Once again, the federal government should take notes from 49 of 50 states and give the people what they deserve – a government that lives within its means.

The New Year Beckons – Be the Beacon of Hope for Tommorow

The newly acquired crispness in the air can mean only one thing; winter is quickly approaching. During this seasonal change, probably more so than most, we take our time to reflect upon the year that has passed. In doing so, we find the ways in which to be thankful for all we have seen and done over the last 365 days as well as see how we can change our outlook and going forward and make the world a better place.

This is a time to be thankful for our family, friends, neighbors, and freedoms. This is a time when many of us are are lucky enough to sit around the table and share a meal and some great conversation with people we may not have the luxury to see often.

As winter hits, this is also a time where many across this great nation are seeing the first signs of snow and watching from deer blinds the first days of the hunting season.

Naturally, this is a time to reflect upon our freedoms that we hold so dear and to share with others our efforts that make this nation the beacon of hope that it is across the world.

While we may quibble over some policy decisions and rhetoric, at the end of the day we are all Americans and we all want to see this nation be the best that it can be.

We can all agree that our rights are sacred, and that the founding father’s of these United States had the strength of vision to grant us the ability to work through differences and see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

During this holiday season, please take the time to thank a veteran for all that they have given to our nations. Take the time to reach out to those in need and give them all the help that you, not the government, can spare. Take the time to listen to a child’s questions, and point them to the correct, conservative answers to our world’s ongoing plights and successes.

Take the time to think back on the year that is closing and be thankful that you live in a country that allows you to speak freely, express yourself and to be the person you strive and want to become.

Lastly, take the time to reflect on how you can make 2016 a better year for yourself, your children, your community and your nation. Get involved in a campaign, write letters to the editor, and support a cause you hold dear. Get involved and start the New Year off right by outing your principles first, and making each and every day the most that it can be.

OAR Blog Post – Freedom Will Not Back Down

Sometimes words fail us, after this past week, this seems to be one of those times. Once again terrorists have usurped headlines and pushed themselves to the forefront of discussion throughout the world.

The tragic events in Paris are devastating to the psyche of a free people. But only in the short term, we have already witnessed a coalition of the brave, strong, and bold stepping up to stop the train of havoc that these cowards have thrust upon the world scene.

Yes, more than 100 people have lost their lives to senseless idiocy and a lost ideology that preaches hate and discord. And yes, once again ISIS has proven they are definitely not the JV team in world terror.

However, our resolve will not be broken while it has been tested. Together, the world will unite under the banner of freedom and we will beat back this heinous act and those like it in Lebanon and Kenya and beyond. We will avenge our brothers and sisters regardless of the lands they call home, we will work together to push back this new front of cowardly behavior that has once again reared its ugly head.

In order to do so we must band together, it is in times like these where we find ourselves reaching out and engaging our allies while pulling them closer to enable a empowered and connected front.

Today is a time for mourning and for helping those stricken with grief over the atrocious acts perpetrated upon our friends and neighbors abroad, but tomorrow we will pick ourselves up and be ready to engage the enemy on each and every front by encouraging and standing with our allies in the face of this horrendous act.

The National Debt, seemingly the elephant in the room that no one really wants to talk about. Both parties are guilty of adding tremendous amounts to it, and not wanting to give up the reins of control on spending that is necessary to right our fiscal ship.

A strong, smart, transparent, and lean government is the best formula for rebuilding our nation’s economy and getting more people back into the workforce.

As it stands today our nation’s debt has topped $18.5 trillion. That is right, you read that correctly, 18 and a half TRILLION dollars, is the debt our nation is in today.

The lion’s share of that debt was created under President Obama. Since being elected in late 2008 the nation’s overall debt has risen from $10.8 trillion to today’s staggering $18.5.

To put that into prospective, our nations gross domestic product, the actual size of our economy, is $17.3 trillion. We all know that if you owe more than you bring in, you are working at a deficit.

In our nation right now, we are playing catch up to pay our bills.

Now is the time for restraint, we must cut our spending and focus on the necessary priorities our government should fund.

This is our money and somehow many in Washington have forgotten that. They vote against balanced budget amendments, they push to overfund programs that may not be necessary – or are duplicitous in nature-- and they tell us all the while that it is for our own good.

Much like a parent who has noticed their teenager rampantly spending with the family credit card on frivolous items, it is time to lay down the law and take the card away.

We must tell our federal government to look to the states for answers.

Take Wisconsin for example. Under Governor Scott Walker and the Republican legislature, a state with a $3.6 billion budget deficit went to a surplus of more than a billion dollars in just one gubernatorial election cycle. (Well two if you are in Wisconsin). This ability to tighten the belt and fund necessities rather than pet projects has saved taxpayers money and righted that state’s fiscal ship.

Indiana shows another avenue of how to fix a problematic issue of growing budget deficits by making state agencies become more frugal. Governor Pence asked state agencies to reduce their budgets by 4.5%, and in doing so was able to take a state working in a deficit to one with a $210 million budget surplus, while adding to their $2.14 billion in reserves.

By taking simple and astute actions that actually look at the bottom line and curb excessive spending, many Republican led states have made the shifts necessary to get spending under control and help the taxpayers receive some relief.

Democrats, both nationally and in the states, must learn to take their hands out of our wallets and to live within their means.

Republican governors have shown that it can be done; it is time for others to take notice and follow along.

OAR Blog Post – Congress Getting Back to Work

Last week, we urged you to call or contact your local congressional representative to let them know you supported the move to vote Paul Ryan in as the new Speaker of the House.

Luckily, for once, our representatives in Washington, DC listened. Paul D. Ryan is the latest person to take up the mantle of Speaker of the House, and with that vote came a much needed breath of fresh air into our nation’s lower house.

Speaker Ryan isn’t just a man of morals and pontification. He is a man of action that has come out of the people’s chamber with a firm grasp on our conservative agenda and a vision for not only our party’s future, but our nation’s as well.

For the first time in a very long time, the house Republican caucus is unified. The idea of small backroom bickering is finally behind the party, and new leadership is bringing forth a level of engagement from members that hasn’t been seen since Nancy Pelosi banded together the democrats in 2006.

Finally, the change that we conservatives have been looking for is finally on the horizons.

Speaker Ryan drew a clear line in the sand last week while giving his acceptance speech to the members of the house; in no uncertain terms he laid out how his leadership will change business as usual in Washington.

“But let’s be frank: The House is broken. We are not solving problems. We are adding to them. And I am not interested in laying blame. We are not settling scores. We are wiping the slate clean. Neither the members nor the people are satisfied with how things are going. We need to make some changes, starting with how the House does business.”

As a party and as a nation, we finally have a no-nonsense person in charge of the people’s voice. Regardless of ideology, we all know that we have someone who is truly looking out for the interests of all Americans. We have the leader we deserve at the helm of our proverbial ship that has been drifting in the wrong direction for far too long.

Others have tried and failed in this position, but the beauty of Paul Ryan’s speakership is that he didn’t maneuver for this power position, he didn’t vie and make backroom deals to be where he is today. He strode into congress with an agenda to leave this nation a better place for his children and generations to come.

Bold insight, and forthright convictions will enable him to be the success that we need, at a time where true leadership has been missing in other branches of the government.

With the recent announcement that John Boehner would be stepping down as Speaker of the House a number of up-and-coming as well as stalwart Republicans in the house have floated their name in the hopes of becoming the next speaker.

While any number of good conservative lawmakers would make a tremendous next voice of the conservatism for the American people, no other name has the recognition and gravitas as the current chairman of the Ways and Means committee.

Congressman Paul Ryan is the absolute perfect choice to be the next voice of reason and levelheadedness from the nation’s lower house.

Under his watch we may actually see conservative ideals get to the voting floor, and we may be able to better stand against the liberal agenda that has been rammed through under President Obama.

Representative Ryan is no stranger to adversity on the House floor he has fought long and hard for the tenants that we, as conservatives, believe in. He has a connection with the American people that few elected officials do. He is believed. His word is bond and people of all political philosophies know that when he says something, he not only means it, but he will back it up and get it done.

There have been factions growing in the Republican Party for decades; some see this as a problem, others as a strong voice of contention to the status quo. At the end of the day Republicans of all stripes want the same thing. We stand for smaller government, limited regulation, and lower taxes.

With Paul Ryan at the helm of the ship, we can once again feel confident that the ideals of the party will not only be met, but will be the guiding light to bring necessary change to Washington.

As conservatives, we have long asked for someone with a strong backbone to lead the party from the House floor and the backrooms of Washington. We are about to get the best of both in Representative Ryan and our nation will be better for it.

At Our American Revival, we strongly urge you to contact your representative in Washington today, and let them know your support for our conservative future in the hands of Congressman Ryan is unwavering, as theirs should be as well.

OAR Blog – Strengthening our Conservative Voice

Some have called the Republican Party fractured, some have called it broken and some have just said that the Party has lost its way.

While the mainstream media may have pulled the majority of this conjecture out of thin air, one thing remains true; regardless of how the Party is viewed today it must rebuild and rebrand itself as the commonsense conservative voice of reason it used to be.

With a Speaker’s race underway in Washington, as well as a number of close and contentious house and senate races, not to mention the presidential race, on the horizon – it is clearly time to regroup and ensure that our conservative values of limited government, fiscal responsibility and speaking out on the side of freedom are heard not only on a national level but on the local level.

So what should we be doing? As conservatives it is time to get off the couch now. Stop yelling at your television when someone on the left tells and out-and-out lie. Get up, get involved. Call your local Party headquarters and answer a call to service. Go make phone calls, help knock on doors for a city council candidate that is speaking the truth to the people.

Now is the time that we get back to our roots and start electing commonsense conservative voices on the local and statewide level – we will once again have a stronger voice on the national scene that cannot be ignored when we make that happen.

Our victory in 1980 with President Ronald Reagan did not begin there – it began years earlier when conservative voices banded together and got him into the governor’s office in California. The Republican Revolution and Contract with America of 1994 didn’t begin on a whim – it was a concerted effort on the part of MANY to stand by a single united message and build out from there.

We have obviously banded together before and it has worked wonders not only for conservatives, but also for the nation. We can, and will do it again. The real question is how will you help strengthen our voice?

A Great Education is a Moral Imperative

Bold leaders in our states have had a great deal of success in recent years advocating for and instituting education reforms, especially when it comes to school choice.

As Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker puts it: “Every child in this country deserves access to a great education. For me, that’s a moral imperative.”

Governor Walker has long supported school choice. As governor, he has expanded the number of charter schools, lifted the limits on virtual schools and provided more help for families choosing to home school their children. Walker also expanded the Milwaukee Parental School Choice program to add more students, more schools and working class families. Later, he expanded school choice across the state. You can read more here.

And Walker is not the only leader taking on significant and meaningful education reform.

In Nevada, Governor Brian Sandoval recently signed a bill creating education savings accounts (ESA), which hold funding parents can use for educational expenditures at the school they choose for their child. Nevada is the fifth state to adopt such a program.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, a Republican who took office in January, signed into law the Succeed Scholarship Program, the state’s first private school choice program, changing the conversation and the dynamic of educational choice in that formerly blue state.

We can provide our nation’s kids with a great education if we’re willing to give control to those who know them best. Moving funding from the bureaucracy in Washington, D.C. to the state and local level means more efficiency, more effectiveness, and more accountability. We need leaders who trust parents and will support more quality choices for all of our children.

OAR Blog - Obama’s Diplomacy puts Russia in the Driver’s Seat

For the better part of six and a half years our President has been long on words and short on action. He has planted his proverbial flag in the sand and watched it float away during high tide. His rhetoric is neither tough nor believable and the world has realized that he is nothing more than a paper tiger.

While at the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin has staked his international reputation on flexing muscle and ensuring that a show of force is his calling card.

Whether it be in Crimea or the Ukraine, Afghanistan or Syria, Putin has made it abundantly clear that his show of force is the only international diplomacy that he needs. At the same time President Obama sits idly by and draws lines in the sand that are continually crossed by those who wish to do us harm without a single repercussion.

For example, this past week both heads of state gave impassioned speeches at the United Nations. While Obama’s was light on substance and heavy on conjecture, Putin stood in firm defiance of the majority of nations and continued to showcase how he alone would deal with ISIS and the growing insolvency issues in Syria. He continues to support the tyrannical regime of President Assad and is working directly with those in Iran who want nothing more than the utter destruction of our way of life.

What happened to the old edict of talk softly but carry a big stick? What happened to the Reagan era mantra of peace through strength?

Alas, under the current administration we have lost that edge. We have lost our will to be the bastion of freedom heard throughout the world.

Is this a lost cause? The answer to that question is a loud and resounding NO. We are Americans, we do not give up, we fight through adversity, and we strive to make the world a better place. And now is the time to stand up and make that happen again.

We have a choice as Americans; we can act like our current commander-in-chief and sit back while those in the Kremlin continue to impose their will on nations who could use our help, or we can stand up and be heard.

We must act now, through our conservative elected officials and ensure that we will no longer allow the administration to sully our reputation in international affairs.

Gone are the days of polite smiles and flowery language on international issues. We must return to the place that has always been our center, we must return to helping our allies and encouraging all around the world to strive toward freedom.

We have a long year ahead of us until the next election cycle ends, it is high time to make sure that we once again put a person in the White House who will look after our needs at home AND abroad, and will ensure that we are once again a respected voice of reason in the international theater.

Standing Up To Federal Overreach

It’s a guiding principle of Our American Revival: The powers of the federal government should be limited to those specified in the Constitution, and that federal overreach infringes on our American freedoms and values.

Republican governors and state elected leaders across the nation are standing up to the burdensome influence of a growing federal government.

The EPA under the Obama Administration is a classic example of big government gone awry.

The Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule recently released by the agency, which aims to define the waters that fall under federal oversight and the regulations that apply to those waters, goes far beyond its intended purpose. The rule change is raising serious concerns in a wide array of industries, especially agriculture, that more government intrusion will have real, averse impacts and make their work harder – not easier. The EPA’s proposed carbon rule for power plants as part of the administration’s Clean Power Plan poses a similarly alarming potential for overregulation.

But big, bold leaders in our states aren’t standing idly by as D.C. threatens to unilaterally expand its reach. They are calling attention to undue federal interference in matters better handled by states, and they are taking action to put power back where it belongs.

Governors like Scott Walker of Wisconsin have been steadfast in pushing back against the EPA. As Wisconsin joined a number of other states in suing the EPA over the Clean Power Plan, Walker detailed in a May letter the “inaccuracies, questionable assumptions and deficiencies” that make the Clean Power Plan “unworkable” for Wisconsin. Walker also spoke out strongly against the agency’s WOTUS power grab.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin this spring issued an executive order outlining her state’s refusal to comply with the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, saying, “I will not submit a [plan] to ensure Oklahoma’s compliance with such a clear overreach of federal authority.”

And last month, 16 states with concerns about expanding federal authority sued the EPA over the WOTUS rule. Ken Paxton, attorney general for Texas, said in announcing his state’s intention to sue, “The EPA’s new water rule is not about clean water – it’s about power. This sweeping new rule is a blatant overstep of federal authority and could have a devastating effect on virtually every property owner.”

An American revival will begin in the states, not in Washington, D.C. The states – and the big, bold leaders who guide them – are fighting to take our nation back from big government bureaucrats and return power to the hard-working taxpayers.

Scott Walker Fought Big Government Special Interests… And Won

When Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker took office in 2011, he was immediately faced with a difficult challenge: a $3.6 billion budget deficit that was the result of his Democrat predecessor’s spending and mismanagement.

Faced with this multi-billion dollar obstacle, Walker didn’t take the easy way out and raise taxes on Wisconsinites. Instead, he decided to balance the budget through much-needed government reform.

Walker pushed forward and decided to take on the big government special interests with Act 10, Wisconsin’s 2011 budget repair bill. Act 10 tackled the out-of-control power of the state’s public-employee unions.

Before Act 10, taxpayers were paying the employer share of pension contributions AND the employee share of contributions for the state’s public employees, which was contributing to the growing deficit. Now, under Act 10, public employees help contribute to their retirement savings, just as most employees do in the private sector.

However, when you take on big government union bosses, you become a target of these special interests. During the Act 10 fight, unions brought in tens of thousands of protesters outside the state capitol and Walker even faced death threats against himself and his family.

Fast forward: The Wisconsin Supreme Court has upheld Act 10 and it has saved Wisconsin taxpayers over $3 billion. Going beyond the savings, teachers in Wisconsin are now being paid based on performance and hired based on merit, resulting in a better experience for students.

Governor Scott Walker knew those on the left and those unwilling to make the changes that benefit Wisconsin would attack his big and bold reforms. But, in the end, Walker stood strong to deliver what the taxpayers needed.

OAR Blog – Time for Congress to Step Up to the plate

Both houses of congress returned from the August recess this past Tuesday. With only ten days to go in the month’s legislative session, they have a lot of work cut out for them, should they choose to step up to the plate.

Sadly, when the Republicans took over control of both houses in the 2014 election, we were promised swift action on a number of issues that conservatives take to heart. The defunding of Obamacare, more oversight of federal agencies, that we would take the fight to the executive branch when it came to spending.

As of late, none of this has happened. We have been led astray and our own conservative principles are being put to the test, while the leadership in Washington from our side of the aisle sits idly by trying to play a waiting game.

Enough is enough. It is high time for more voices to be heard, conservative strong voices from the states that have balanced budgets and listened to the people when it comes to passing common-sense legislation.

We must stand by the elected officials that are calling for the immediate defunding of Planned Parenthood by the federal government. People like South Carolina’s Rep. Mick Mulvaney, who has gone on record saying, “We have to find a way to fund the government without giving any more money to this organization.” He also sided with Utah’s senior Senator Orrin Hatch, in a letter to Speaker Boehner, by saying that no spending bill should pass this fall without the complete defunding of the $528 million in our tax dollars that goes to this organization unchecked.

This organization has fleeced the American people of billions upon billions of dollars of our tax money for far too long. With the ongoing release of tapes that clearly show a lack of respect for life, we must ask our representatives to live up to their early campaign promises and do as the voters throughout the nation have asked.

It is time for those in Washington to take a play from the conservatively run state’s playbook and step up to the plate to defund this unscrupulous organization. States like Wisconsin, Utah and Arkansas have already made the bold moves to keep our money away from this organization, our representatives in Washington must do the same.

ICYMI: Governor Susana Martinez Make It Easier For Businesses To Succeed In New Mexico

Saying she hoped to see similar bipartisanship in the future, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez signed into law Monday a package of tax incentives recently approved by legislators during a quick special session.

The Republican governor told business leaders and small business owners at the BioScience Center in Albuquerque that the incentives will help recruit new businesses to New Mexico, make it easier for small businesses to grow and boost trade and commerce along New Mexico's southern border.

"We must diversify our economy and grow our private sector, and that requires us to make it easier for those with great ideas to start a new business in New Mexico," Martinez said.

Saying she hoped to see similar bipartisanship in the future, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez signed into law Monday a package of tax incentives recently approved by legislators during a quick special session.

The Republican governor told business leaders and small business owners at the BioScience Center in Albuquerque that the incentives will help recruit new businesses to New Mexico, make it easier for small businesses to grow and boost trade and commerce along New Mexico's southern border.

"We must diversify our economy and grow our private sector, and that requires us to make it easier for those with great ideas to start a new business in New Mexico," Martinez said.

Thirty-Six hours… When it comes to Iran, this is all the time we have left to make sure our voices are heard through our elected officials in Washington. This ill-conceived and disastrous deal with a hostile nation does nothing to protect Americans, our allies in Israel or the safety of the world that can only currently say that Iran doesn’t have nuclear capabilities.

Try as they might the left has nothing to stand on when it comes to this deal. We can hold no trust for a country that has lied in the past and will continue to lie into the future. We must have our elected officials ALL stand and VOTE for or against this deal.

The sad fact is, the Democrats in the U.S. Senate want nothing to do with this deal, they know it is toxic and will hurt them in the coming election.

As the majority party, we MUST make waves, we MUST stand accountable and we MUST ensure that the other side of the aisle does as well.

If the Democrats want to lift sanctions against one of the world’s largest funders of terrorism, we should make them say that. If they want to release $150 billion to the people who have said they will stop at nothing to rid the world of Israel, we should make them say that as well. If the Democrats are so proud of this horrendous, “diplomatic” answer to the world’s legitimate worry about a nuclear Iran, we should make them stand up individually on the senate floor and MAKE them say that.

We have thirty-six hours to get them to see the error of their ways. The path this president and his executive branch have set us on is troublesome and will be tragic for our allies and ourselves in the future.

A procedural hurdle should not stop these elected, yet seemingly unaccountable cowards the ability to NOT have to stand by their actions. By simply allowing the Democrats the ability to walk away from having their vote heard and counted, not only by the U.S. Senate, but by the people who put them in those offices is unconscionable.

Senator Dan Coats from Indiana said it best when he remarked, “My hope is that Senate Democrats will hear from their constituents and allow an up-or-down vote on President Obama’s Iran deal this week. An issue of this magnitude deserves a vote in the world’s greatest deliberative body.”

His words ring true, so true in fact that notorious liberal icons like Senator Charles Schumer and Senator Ben Cardin sided with the Republicans when it came to this spectacular disaster.

We, as conservatives, should bypass the procedural rules and make sure that the voters of the United States see exactly where each and every elected official stands when it comes to any dealings with nations who do not have our best interests at heart.

Before his first election in 2010, Wisconsin unemployment stood at 9.2 percent. Today, it is 4.5 percent. Wisconsin's labor participation rate is above the national average. Walker inherited a $3.6 billion deficit; today he has a surplus. The state's "rainy day fund" is 165 times larger than the day Walker took office. He has the only fully funded state pension in the country.

In taking on labor unions, Walker ended tenure for teachers and policies that rewarded them mostly for seniority. Walker prefers rewarding teachers for high classroom scores and other good results. Today, Wisconsin schools hire and fire almost entirely on a basis of merit. The result: reading scores and graduation rates are up, and Wisconsin has the second-highest ACT scores of all states that require the exam.

Most recently, Walker enacted the country's 25th right-to-work law.

"That means people have the freedom to work without being forced to be in a labor union," Walker said.

National Review: Who Needs to Bone Up on Foreign Policy?By Colin DueckJune 11, 2015

[…]

Scott Walker’s leadership style during his time as governor is an interesting contrast to Obama’s. When Walker was elected governor of Wisconsin, there was a gaping state budget deficit. He decided, quite rightly, that the only way to address this challenge was to face down the public-sector unions. To say this was a controversial decision would be an understatement. It rallied nationwide resistance against Walker from organized labor and liberal Democrats, including a 2012 recall election. Yet in spite of the most outrageous attacks, he stuck to his guns. The outcome was that he won the recall election, brought Wisconsin’s budget under control, and then won reelection in 2014. These dramatically successful struggles may not have been about foreign policy, but they do reveal qualities of leadership that are entirely relevant to being president, and that Obama has never demonstrated. These leadership qualities include:

Do what you say you’re going to do. For some reason, this is viewed as exceptional in Washington, D.C. In the country’s heartland, it is simply expected.

If you draw a red line, enforce it. If you don’t intend to enforce it, don’t draw it in the first place.

Actually work to solve problems. Do not simply give speeches and then walk away.

Don’t lead from behind. Just lead. If and when you achieve results, people in the middle will recognize and reward your success.

Understand that the practical test of an effective policy is not whether it fits the good intentions of liberals, but whether it works on the ground.

In his own Midwestern way, tough but low-key, Walker has demonstrated all of the above traits during his years as governor.

Throughout history the search for freedom and equality has always been a mainstay of the human condition. This is especially true when looking at the history of our nation and the fact that the founding fathers put that sentiment right in the opening lines of Declaration of Independence.

We are a nation that believes all human beings are created equal and that we are all endowed by the created with the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. While there is a dark history of slavery in our country, we have come a long way to rectify our past sins and build a bright future for all.

Despite all that we have done as a nation, human trafficking still exists. What most people do not realize it the extent to which it is happening, and how many people are being coerced into a life of slavery worldwide.

According to the U.S. State Department and the Department of Justice, sex trafficking is a $150 billion industry with more than 27 million victims worldwide. These are staggering and downright frightening numbers.

Regardless of ideology, this is one situation where the right and left can agree. Freeing people from the bondage of slavery is a must. Because, despite what you may see on TV or in the movies, this is not just a big city problem, this stretches across our country from rural to suburban to urban areas, and we must band together to put an end to it in our country and across the globe.

A number of states run by conservative legislatures and conservative governors have stepped up to the plate to answer the call to put an end to these horrific injustices.

In face new human trafficking laws were passed in 39 states in 2014, and according to the Polaris project, a number of these laws were strengthened in states with strong conservative leadership.

The sheer volume of those, throughout the world, under the thumb of another through human trafficking is horrifying. However, here in the United States, almost all states have increased their awareness of the issue, and a number of right leaning states have taken much needed positive steps toward putting an end to individual tyranny.

In South Carolina, for example, the definition of sex trafficking was expanded and the penalties for engaging in the trafficking of another human being were dramatically increased. Rather than a fine and a small amount of jail time, individuals now may incur heavily financial penalty and the potential for up to 45 years in prison for a third offense. Or in, Tennessee, where the Polaris Project gives the state a rank of 9.5 out of 10 in terms of combatting human trafficking, the state has increased the penalties in asset forfeiture and incarceration time for anyone who holds another in human bondage.

ICYMI: New Hampshire Lawmakers Move Tax Change To Make State More Business Friendly

Lawmakers approved a change to the business tax code that will make it easier for closely held companies to sell stocks without tax liability.

The owners of Newington-based Planet Fitness approached legislators with former Gov. Craig Benson earlier this month asking them to change the business profits tax provisions for closely held companies.

The company is about to issue an initial public offering but would have to pay millions in business profits tax because the stock sale increases the company’s values. The company threatened to move its headquarters with about 150 jobs out of the state unless the tax code is changed.

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[S]upporters like Sen Andy Sanborn, R-Bedford, said the change will make New Hampshire much more business friendly to start-ups and small entrepreneurial companies.

"It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the Federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the States or to the people. All of us need to be reminded that the Federal Government did not create the States; the States created the Federal Government."